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The Villainous Noble Who Kept Rewinding After Death: The Story Somehow Changed When I Committed Suicide

Interlude: Fourth Round ②

From the following day, Miria stopped meeting Shudo.

Shudo continued to find time to visit Miria, but it seemed she was avoiding him, and no matter how many times he asked, he couldn’t meet her.

Months passed, and when Shudo was chosen by the Holy Sword and became the Hero, the academy buzzed with excitement.

The most excited were the commoner students, who had previously been bullied by the noble sons. For them, Shudo becoming a Hero—a fellow commoner—offered them courage and confidence.

As a result, the commoners, who had been oppressed by power and status, stood up and began to report their experiences to the academy.

Among those reports were many pertaining to Lewis’s actions, and the fact that Lewis, a higher noble, was at the forefront caused quite a stir, creating chaos throughout the academy.

However, the academy couldn’t make judgments based solely on one side’s testimony. More importantly, Lewis had thoroughly hidden such aspects of his character, which made it impossible to penalize him based solely on one account, despite the trust he had from the faculty.

“Miria!”

“Oh, are you Shudo-san?”

One day, as Miria headed to the laundry room in the early morning before sunrise, she was stopped by the nostalgic voice of a young man she hadn’t heard in a while.

It was the commoner youth she had been friendly with just a few months ago, now transformed into a Hero and a sudden celebrity.

“Finally, I found you!”

Shudo smiled happily, approached the bewildered Miria, and hugged her tightly.

“Uh, Shudo-san?”

“I’ve wanted to see you for so long, Miria-san!”

“Um, this is sudden…”

Miria was surprised by the sudden embrace, but more than that, the words Lewis had said to her a few months ago resurfaced in her mind. The feelings of embarrassment and happiness were overshadowed by the fear that she needed to break away quickly.

Yet Shudo did not release her; instead, he spoke slowly, brimming with confidence.

“Miria-san, please calm down. I apologize for hugging you suddenly, but I felt that you might run away otherwise.”

“Well, that’s…”

“For the past few months, you’ve been avoiding me, haven’t you? I don’t know what happened, but I know that much. However, I desperately wanted to see you. That’s why I’ve been waiting here since last night.”

“Eh? Since last night?”

“Haha, it sounds creepy, doesn’t it? But I missed you that much. I was worried about you.”

“…Shudo-san.”

As Shudo spoke of his concern, he held Miria tighter as if to assure her of his sincerity.

His warmth must have reached Miria’s heart because tears, which had dried up recently, began to flow down her cheeks. She buried her face in Shudo’s chest and silently cried.

After a while, once she had calmed down, Miria sat down beside Shudo, still holding his hand, and began to talk again.

“I’m sorry for suddenly crying earlier. I got my clothes dirty too.”

“Please don’t worry about it. I’m just glad you were able to calm down, Miria-san.”

“Ah, thank you.”

Though she felt slightly embarrassed, Miria couldn’t let go of the warmth from Shudo’s hand, leaning against his shoulder without trying to escape from that moment.

“Miria-san, can you tell me what happened to you these past few months?”

“Well, that is…”

When asked by Shudo, Miria recalled her mother but hesitated to speak. She feared that if she revealed the truth, he might be killed too.

“Miria-san. I’ve been chosen by the Holy Sword and have become strong. I’m no longer the kind of person who needs to be protected like I was a few months ago.”

“Shudo-san.”

“Let me protect you. No, I will definitely protect you. So please, trust me and tell me everything, Miria.”

“…I—”

Unable to bear the strength and warmth in Shudo’s gaze, Miria gradually began to share her current situation with him.

Who her master was, the usual treatment she received, the bullying taking place at the academy, the crimes happening in the town, and her mother’s situation.

Once she began speaking, the emotions she had suppressed burst forth like a dam breaking, filling her heart with anger and sadness.

“How could they be so cruel!? How dare they do that to Miria! That’s unforgivable!”

“Thank you, Shudo-san…”

Someone was angry for her sake.

That alone was a heartwarming comfort for Miria, filling her with overwhelming joy.

“Don’t worry. I will expose your master’s crimes, Miria. Do you happen to have any evidence regarding that?”

“Y-Yes. Since Lord Lewis is a cautious person, he hides the evidence in a secure place to avoid being betrayed. It’s usually hidden in a place where it can’t be found, but I know where it is.”

“Then, is it possible for you to retrieve it?”

“If it’s during the time when Lord Lewis is away at the academy, then yes. However…”

Miria hesitated, and a look of anxiety crossed her face.

“It’s fine. As long as you can get the evidence, I’ll take care of the rest. Besides, you wouldn’t want to continue like this, would you? Or do you plan on being abused by your master forever?”

“Well, that is…”

“Miria. You are a strong and kind person. You’ve endured your master’s abuse all this time and are still pondering how to protect me. But don’t worry. I’ve been chosen as the Hero. Heroes don’t lose to anything and will never tolerate evil. Plus, you know this situation is wrong. Miria, I believe you will make the right choice. And I want to protect you after you make that right choice.”

Feeling the strength, kindness, and warm emotions conveyed through their connected hands, Miria thought for a while before nodding at his words.

“I understand. I will trust you, Shudo-san.”

“Thank you. You really are a strong person, Miria. I appreciate your trust.”

Thus, empowered by the courage and kindness Shudo had given her, Miria broke free from Lewis’s shackles and stood up with a newfound desire for revenge and hatred against him, determined to expose his wrongdoings.

At that moment, as if someone had orchestrated it, Lewis regained consciousness, and the true fourth-round world began to move.

When Lewis opened his eyes, he found himself in a room he knew very well.

“Wha? Why am I here…?”

It was a room he had often used, a place where he had lived for years.

“Why am I back in the academy dorm…?”

Lewis couldn’t comprehend.

He had indeed told his parents he wouldn’t be going to the academy, ensuring he wouldn’t leave his room.

And yet, here he was back in the academy dorm, staring at a familiar landscape.

“This sensation… It’s like last time…”

He didn’t understand the situation, but there was one thing he realized: he had a hole in his memory, as if it had been pulled away from him, just like in the third-round world.

Looking at the position of the sun coming through the window, it was around midday, a time when he should normally be attending the academy.

Panicking, Lewis rushed outside to confirm the current situation and began searching for the person who should have been nearby in this world.

“What’s with this gaze? Why are they looking at me like that…?”

During his search, he encountered people who shot him looks full of disgust and hatred, but Lewis had no memories of why they might feel that way. Confused and scared, dread filled his heart.

“Miria!”

Finally spotting the person he had been looking for, Lewis approached her, attempting to touch her, but she swatted his hand away and glared at him with eyes filled with hatred and a desire for revenge—more than anyone else.

“Please don’t touch me.”

“…Huh?”

“You seem to not understand the situation after sleeping for two days, but this is the end for you. No matter that you’re the heir to a duke, what you did cannot be forgiven.”

“No, what do you mean…?”

“I have relocated for my safety, so I will take my leave now. Please don’t ever speak to me again.”

Miria said this and left the spot, leaving Lewis surrounded by mocking and contemptuous expressions from others.

Not understanding anything, Lewis decided to return to his room, but as he retraced his steps, he finally began to piece together the voices he had heard around him. He understood that bad rumors concerning him were circulating.

Along the way, he spotted Shudo walking alongside Iris and Miria but had no energy to pay attention to anything and retreated back to his room.

Two weeks later.

As he holed up in his room, knights rushed in, reading aloud accusations he couldn’t remember, and they took him into custody.

By that point, Lewis had already lost the will to resist; having confined himself without eating for two weeks, his cheeks were gaunt, and he was in a state that was unbearable to look at.

Later, as he left the academy under the glares of many students, a trial was held the same day, where he was informed of crimes he couldn’t recall and received a life sentence.

“Haah… haah… cough! cough!”

How long had it been since he had been locked away?

In the underground prison where sunlight never reached, the concept of time vanished; he had no idea what day it was or how long it had been since he was imprisoned.

Even so, while watching his body grow weaker day by day, Lewis spent his days unable to die due to the magic power within him.

“I just want to… die…”

Initially wishing not to die, Lewis eventually began to wish for death.

“Lewis-sama.”

“…M-Miria…”

In that moment, he heard a familiar voice and turned his head to see Miria, whom he had been close to since childhood.

However, her eyes had changed; they were filled with a mix of vengeful hatred, disdain, and joy.

“Haha. This suits you, Lewis-sama. Given what you’ve done to us, it’s the natural result.”

“W-what are you… saying…?”

“I’ve always hoped for you to end up like this. Do you understand? The reason you’re showing such a pathetic figure now is that I told Shudo-san about your misdeeds. It’s all your own doing. If you feel even a shred of guilt, please suffer and die for my sake.”

“………”

“Oh, but I have two things to thank you for. I thought you had killed my mother, but thank you for not doing so. Also, thanks to you, I’ve met someone truly important to me. For that, I’ll be grateful. So long.”

Saying this, Miria left the underground prison, never to return again.

Afterward, the guards occasionally came to check on Lewis, repeatedly discussing his crimes, allowing him to understand what he had done.

(So… I see. I… must have done terrible things to you…)

Even though he had no memory, the fact that Lewis performed cruel bullying and abuse towards Miria and the other students remained unchangeable.

“I’m truly… sorry…”

From then on, Lewis continued to apologize to Miria and the others until the moment of his death, ultimately ending the fourth round of his life while suffering from illness.

 

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